You can support The Update by clicking the banner to your right or the links below if you are purchasing through Amazon! Hardcovers Faces of the Dead by Suzanne Weyn
When Marie-Therese, daughter of Marie Antoinette, slips into the streets of Paris at the height of the French Revolution, she finds a world much darker than what she's ever known.
When Marie-Thérèse Charlotte of France learns of the powerful rebellion sweeping her country, the sheltered princess is determined to see the revolution for herself. Switching places with a chambermaid, the princess sneaks out of the safety of the royal palace and into the heart of a city in strife.
Soon the princess is brushing shoulders with revolutionaries and activists. One boy in particular, Henri, befriends her and has her questioning the only life she's known. When the princess returns to the palace one night to find an angry mob storming its walls, she's forced into hiding in Paris. Henri brings her to the workshop of one Mademoiselle Grosholtz, whose wax figures seem to bring the famous back from the dead, and who looks at Marie-Thérèse as if she can see all of her secrets. There, the princess quickly discovers there's much more to the outside world - and to the mysterious woman's wax figures - than meets the eye.
Before Star Wars, there was The Star Wars! This is the softcover collection of the official adaptation of George Lucas' rough-draft screenplay for what would become Star Wars, the film that changed motion pictures and the world. You'll see familiar characters and places - but not all is the same in this long-ago and faraway galaxy. Still, strap yourself in for high adventure and lazersword duels, Iedi Knights Princess Leia Han Solo and a battle to.
Elizabeth Barnabus lives a double life – as herself and as her brother, the private detective. She is trying to solve the mystery of a disappearing aristocrat and a hoard of arcane machines. In her way stand the rogues, freaks and self-proclaimed alchemists of a travelling circus.
But when she comes up against an agent of the all-powerful Patent Office, her life and the course of history will begin to change. And not necessarily for the better… Burning Paradise by Robert Charles Wilson
From Robert Charles Wilson, the author of the Hugo-winning Spin, comes Burning Paradise, a new tale of humans coming to grips with a universe of implacable strangeness.
Cassie Klyne, nineteen years old, lives in the United States in the year 2015—but it’s not our United States, and it’s not our 2015.
Cassie’s world has been at peace since the Great Armistice of 1918. There was no World War II, no Great Depression. Poverty is declining, prosperity is increasing everywhere; social instability is rare. But Cassie knows the world isn’t what it seems. Her parents were part of a group who gradually discovered the awful truth: that for decades—back to the dawn of radio communications—human progress has been interfered with, made more peaceful and benign, by an extraterrestrial entity. That by interfering with our communications, this entity has tweaked history in massive and subtle ways. That humanity is, for purposes unknown, being farmed.
Cassie’s parents were killed for this knowledge, along with most of the other members of their group. Since then, the survivors have scattered and gone into hiding. Cassie and her younger brother Thomas now live with her aunt Nerissa, who shares these dangerous secrets. Others live nearby. For eight years they have attempted to lead unexceptional lives in order to escape detection. The tactic has worked.
Until now. Because the killers are back. And they’re not human.
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Helsing by Patrick Shand
Liesel Van Helsing's life of hunting down vampires is shaken up when a mysterious package shows up at her door. Inside it is an old journal written by her father, the famed vampire hunter, Abraham Van Helsing. Desperate to find out who sent her the book, Liesel discovers a clue which leads her on a voyage to Europe. What she doesn't know is that her journey is being manipulated by her father's greatest nemesis. This 152 page trade paperback collects together Zenescope's hit comic book series, Grimm Fairy Tales Helsing issues 1 through 4.
The Phantom Coach: A Connoisseur's Collection of Victorian Ghost Stories edited by Michael Simms
From the editor of The Dead Witness and Dracula’s Guest, Michael Sims, expert on all things Victorian, presents a collection of stories about humanity’s oldest supernatural obsession: ghosts. The Phantom Coach, gathers memorable ghost tales from the Victorian era by a surprising, often-legendary cast, from Charles Dickens and Edith Wharton to Henry James, Thomas Hardy, and Arthur Conan Doyle. With a skillful introduction to the genre and notes on each story, The Phantom Coach is a spectacular collection of ghostly Victorian thrills.
To fans, authors and publishers...
Is your story going to be published in time for the next New Releases? Contact us at ahwupdate at gmail dot com. We are looking for works of alternate history, counterfactual history, steampunk, historical fantasy, time travel or anything that warps history beyond our understanding.
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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. Check out his short fiction. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
Editor's Note I am in the market for a new junior editor now that Jake has gone MIA. Any takers? Work is not too difficult. Just need to occasionally proof guest posts and you get first dibs on review copies. Email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.
In fact if you would like to volunteer for anything (even for a position that is not created) or just want to give some feedback/criticism/complaints please feel free to email me that as well. Remember, The Update is a group blog. We are a community of alternate historians working to spread the news about our favorite genre. Any ideas you have to make The Update better, I would love to hear them. Many changes I have made to The Update over the years have not come from me, but from readers and contributors like you.
And now the news...
LoneStarCon 3 to Feature Author Jay Lake with Film Premiere and Special Exhibit
Lakeside began in 2012 as a film project about how Jay Lake had beaten cancer. He had been in remission for several months and everyone was pleased at how healthy he was looking. The film-makers decided to follow Jay for one year, from birthday to birthday (or "JayCon," as he now calls his public birthday parties). They began filming at Paradise Lost II, a writers' workshop in San Antonio, Texas, before they followed Jay back to Portland to cover JayCon 2012. He was among friends and family and was excited about the documentary. They started interviewing Jay and his family about his life ... then, as they were filming, life happened.
It started with a call that Jay's mother was being rushed to the emergency room. She was suffering symptoms that mirrored Jay's initial presentation of colon cancer. The entire production changed tone as the team was reminded that these are real people and that life does not always follow the script... then in August 2012, a scan showed that Jay's own cancer had returned and three aggressive tumors were devouring his liver. Thus, Lakeside became a film about whether Jay could win the game of "kill the cancer, save the patient."
The project was made all the more interesting when it became a Kickstarter project. Friends, family, and strangers responded overwhelmingly, helping to raise over $24,000 to fund the film. More of the background to Lakeside can be found on Kickstarter, and on the Waterloo Productions website.
The film's director, Donnie Reynolds, and Jay Lake will both be at LoneStarCon 3 to introduce the film on Friday, August 30, at 9 a.m., with a repeat showing on Monday, September 2, at 1 p.m. In addition to the premiere of Lakeside, the convention will be presenting a special exhibit on Jay Lake's genome, sequenced by Illumina as part of Jay's search for possible therapies and to provide information that may help future cancer patients. The exhibit will be presented in the main Exhibit Hall, in Exhibit A in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
Coming Soon: The Great Game by Christopher Nuttall
Friend of The Update, Christopher Nuttall, has a new book coming out next week in his Royal Sorceress series. Titled The Great Game, it follows the protagonist Gwen’s unfolding story as she assumes the role vacated by Master Thomas. The book has been descrined as "[a] satisfying blend of whodunit and magical fantasy, it is set against a backdrop of international political unrest in a believable yet simultaneously fantastic alternate history." Here is the description from Elsewhen Press:
It’s 1831, and Lady Gwendolyn Crichton has been appointed Royal Sorceress following the tragic events known as the Swing. Although unleashed by the rebel master magician Jack in battle with Gwen’s mentor Master Thomas, the popular press firmly laid the blame at the feet of the French. Now alone at the head of the Royal College of Sorcerers, Gwen must overcome prejudice against her gender and age if she is to exercise her authority and fulfil her responsibilities. Soon an unexpected responsibility is made manifest when Sir Travis Mortimer, a senior magician recently returned from India, is found murdered in a locked room. Gwen is required to investigate, but before long her inquiries lead her into a web of intrigue that combines international politics, widespread aristocratic blackmail, gambling dens, and personal vendettas. Should she believe apparent evidence that Mortimer betrayed his country, or is she being manipulated to keep her away from the truth? Who can she really trust? Is a title or popular acclaim a valid basis for trust? Soon, some of the more unsavoury aspects of the case get dangerously close to home, which means Gwen must make hard decisions and ask difficult questions of her own nearest and dearest.
We congratulate Chris on his recent accomplishment and hope to see even more stories from this already prolific author.
Paradox Announces War of the Vikings and Releases EUIV Demo
Paradox Interactive last week announced War of the Vikings, an all-new multiplayer game built upon the technology that drives Paradox’s medieval squad combat title War of the Roses. Developed by Fatshark, War of the Vikings is a new standalone entry into the War franchise that will pull players into the brutal and bloody Viking Age, challenging them to design a personalized warrior and sack England as a mighty Norseman – or defend it as a brave Saxon. Featuring intense close-quarters combat, authentically inspired settings and weaponry, rich customization options, and large-scale 64-player battles, War of the Vikings will add a new unforgettable experience to Paradox’s close combat arsenal. View the teaser trailer for War of the Vikings below:
“War of the Roses was a fantastic experience for us to launch, and as it’s evolved over time, eventually growing into its current Kingmaker edition, we've been inspired many times over by the possibilities of the close-combat genre,” said Gordon Van Dyke, Executive Producer for the War of the Roses franchise. “It’s clear to us that that there are many more experiences we can share with our players, and War of the Vikings is our next step in establishing Paradox and Fatshark as leaders in the art of online war.”
People seem excited by this announcement and this editor can attest that at one point "War of the Vikings" was trending on Twitter. The game requires players to band together on the battlefields of 9th and 10th Century England and fight to conquer or defend Britannia. Environments, weapons, and visuals drawn from Viking Age history will immerse players in a bloody new conflict between the Vikings and the Saxons, with each warrior hand-designed by its player from a wide variety of customization options. Built on skill-driven gameplay and a deep combat system, War of the Vikings will bring close combat closer than ever.
Players can apply to join the Alpha for War of the Vikings or see footage from the game at Gamescom from August 20-22. War of the Vikings is scheduled to release in Q1 2014.
On top of this announcement, Paradox also released a demo on Steam for their upcoming empire-building game, Europa Universalis IV, to allow players to take their first steps on the journey towards global domination. It can now be sampled for free, tasting just a bit of power before the full game is released next week on August 13.
Paradox also announced that the battle for conquest will take shape exactly as players desire, thanks to support for Steam Workshop for game modifications, and cross-platform multiplayer which will allow rulers to clash with the rivals of their choice across Windows, Mac, and Linux. Both Workshop support and cross-platform play will be included at launch.
In the demo version of Europa Universalis IV, players can take up the flag of one of four available nations, sampling the trade system as Venice, going to war as the Ottoman Empire, founding new colonies as Portugal, or engaging in shrewd diplomacy as Austria. Demo games will last for 28 in-game years and include an extensive tutorial and hint system. The demo will not include multiplayer capabilities, and please note that the abilities to save & load have been disabled.
Keeping a long-held tradition of community interaction and support, Europa Universalis IV intends to foster a strong ‘modding’ community through the support of Steam Workshop. For the first time in the series, players will be able to easily share their customizations to Europa Universalis IV with friends and fans through a central, easily searched repository, where fellow gamers can download and implement mods with a single click.
In addition, for the first time ever in a Paradox Development Studio strategy game, multiplayer matches in Europa Universalis IV will be fully cross-platform. Games will function just as if each player were using the same platform, whether they are playing on a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, for both competitive and cooperative play.
Strategy fans can prepare for conquest by pre-ordering the empire-building game. Anybody who pre-orders Europa Universalis IV will receive all pre-order bonuses, including the recently announced Crusader Kings II save converter and a free copy of Crusader Kings II.
More Trailers: The Star Wars and a Steampunk Cowboy
Check out these two new trailers alternate historians can enjoy. First up we have Dark Horse Comics The Star Wars, a new 8 issue series based on Lucas' rough draft screenplay.
Next up, Swedish developer Image & Form have released a trailer for their Nintendo 3DS platformer SteamWorld Dig:
Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. His new story "The Enchanted Bean" can be found in Once Upon a Clockwork Tale from Echelon Press. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.
Cassie’s parents were killed for this knowledge, along with most of the other members of their group. Since then, the survivors have scattered and gone into hiding. Cassie and her younger brother Thomas now live with her aunt Nerissa, who shares these dangerous secrets. Others live nearby. For eight years they have attempted to lead unexceptional lives in order to escape detection. The tactic has worked.
